National Museum Of African American History & Culture Still Needs Support

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The much-anticipated opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. is just days away.

President Barack Obama will be on hand for the September 24th dedication ceremony. In preparation for the grand opening and beyond, the museum is designating today, September 13th, Giving Day.

Beverly Morgan-Welch, ‎Executive Director at the National Museum of African American History, joined Roland Martin on NewsOne Now to discuss the upcoming grand opening of the museum and what the public can do to help.

Hyundai has partnered with the National Museum of African American History and is providing up to $500,000 in matching donations to help make Giving Day a success.

Morgan-Welch revealed the capital cost for the museum is approximately $500 million and they have raised $325 million of that estimated cost thus far.

At the current moment, the museum has amassed 37,000 artifacts by way of donations. Morgan-Welch said the authentication and preservation process for these items is “absolutely astronomical.”

But Morgan-Welch said the museum is “alive” and not just a celebration of relics. She added part of the purpose is to tell people the history of Africans in the United States, “because it’s largely unknown.”

“By having [an] object that you can see, that Harriet Tubman wore, where Nat Turner prayed, causes you to have and make your own experience,” she said.

Watch Roland Martin, Beverly Morgan-Welch, and the NewsOne Now panel discuss the grand opening of the National Museum of African American History and Giving Day in the video clip above.